Bill O’Brien plays it coy about use of Deshaun Watson in finale

Subjecting quarterback Deshaun Watson to a fierce Titans pass rush might not be a wise move if the Texans have nothing left to play for by the time their game kicks off on Sunday.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Bill O’Brien has a conundrum he’s got to figure out by the time the Texans play Tennessee at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

The Texans are AFC South champions with a 10-5 record, including 6-2 over their last eight games. They’re playing a game that means everything to the Titans and could mean nothing to the Texans, and that puts a lot of pressure on O’Brien to make a decision that doesn’t backfire.

If Kansas City beats the Los Angeles Chargers in a noon game at Arrowhead Stadium to secure the third seed in the AFC playoffs, the Texans have nothing to play for other than pride and perhaps momentum a victory would bring. If the Chiefs win, the Texans will be the fourth seed and play Buffalo in a wild-card game at NRG Stadium.

If the Titans win, they’re in as the last wild card. If the Texans win and the Chiefs lose, they would be the third seed and host the wild-card team with the worst record - Tennessee, Pittsburgh or Oakland.

If the game is meaningless as far as the playoffs are concerned, O’Brien would be risking an injury to quarterback Deshaun Watson before playing the most important game of the season against the Bills. Watson, who has been limited in practice this week with a sore back, said, “I feel great,” after practice on Thursday and added that he expects to play against the Titans.

O’Brien has said all the right things about playing to win, but he’s avoided direct answers about resting Watson and possibly a few other players with nagging injuries if there’s no chance for the third seed.

O’Brien was asked Thursday if there’s any way Watson doesn’t start against the Titans.

“I would say that — like I always tell you guys, especially this week — like I said in the beginning, we're going to do everything we can to win the football game,” he said.

O’Brien didn’t say, “Deshaun’s starting.”

He added, “I think we all know what this game’s about. It's our last regular season game of a season I think has been good. We won the division, and so we need to compete at a very high level against a really good team that’s coming in here ready to go. We need to be ready to go.

“I think we need to play well on Sunday. That'll be a good deal for us headed into the (playoff game) and that's what we're going to try to do.”

Watson was asked if there’s been any thought of him being rested against the Titans.

"I have no idea,” he said.

If O’Brien brings up the possibility, Watson would fight it.

“I don't want to take a day off, if that was a question,” he said. “But I'm not expecting it. (I’m) going out there to do my job, find a way to get 11 wins and continue this momentum going into the playoffs.”

Watson wants to play, and O’Brien wants to win, but he’s got a lot of key players limited in practice because of injuries. For instance, left tackle Laremy Tunsil (ankle) is among the starters who could use the time off, but if he gets it, Watson would have Chris Clark and Roderick Johnson at tackle against a ferocious Tennessee pass rush.

Sure, it would be rewarding to finish the season with a three-game winning streak and an 11-5 record for the second consecutive season to go with an AFC South title that was secured in Saturday’s 23-20 victory at Tampa Bay.

O’Brien also knows his offense needs some fine-tuning to get ready for the playoffs. The Texans’ offense has been inconsistent and was mediocre at best against the Buccaneers, scoring one touchdown and generating only 229 yards, including 68 rushing.

"We need to get sharper on the practice field and on the game field relative to what we did against Tampa Bay,” O’Brien said. “Our offense has been very productive this year. I think it’s a very good offense, but we need to do some things better, no doubt about it.”

The Texans are 12th in offense, including 10th rushing and 10th passing. In their last six victories, they averaged 24.6 points and allowed 17.6.

During their current 6-2 stretch, Watson hasn’t had a 300-yard game, and they haven’t scored 30 points, but they’re winning. Still, he’d like to see more consistency.

“Finding that momentum, finding that groove,” Watson said. “Of course, everyone wants to be healthy, but at the same time, you don't want to take a (day) off. You don't want to get exposed (and) put bad film out there. You've got to do your job, do it hard, do it physical, do it safe and try to get the W.”

Watson knows what the offense needs to become more consistently productive.

“Just a little more urgency, a little more focus on the task at hand,” he said. “If a play doesn’t go our way, we have to put it in the past and focus on the next play.

“It's not a big deal, but it's definitely something we want to focus on and get corrected and make sure that we're improving in that area.”

Can the Texans improve on offense in a game that could mean nothing?

“You’ve got to have confidence and the right mentality so you can play well,” Watson said. “You want to continue to build this week to get prepared for next week. We're going to have to focus on that task at hand at 3:30 and try to win that game.”

John McClain, a Waco native who graduated from Baylor in 1975, is in his 43rd year at the Houston Chronicle and his 40th covering the National Football League, including the Oilers and Texans. He worked for the Waco Tribune Herald from 1973-76, when he accepted a job with the Chronicle. to cover the original Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.

McClain has a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as the 2006 winner of the Dick McCann Memorial Award presented annually by the Pro Football Writers of America to a writer for his long and distinguished coverage of the NFL. He is past president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Committee and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

In 2015, he was named as a Gridiron Legend in Texas, becoming the third member of the media behind Dave Campbell and Mickey Herskowitz.

McClain can be heard six times a week on the Texans' flagship station Sports Radio 610 in Houston. He also does weekly sports talk shows in Nashville, Knoxville, Waco, Austin and San Antonio.

McClain also has appeared in eight movies: The Rookie, The Longest Yard, Spring Breakers, Secretariat, Invincible, Cook County, The Game Plan and Make It Rain.

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